1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated)

The Year Civilization Collapsed

De: Eric H. Cline

Narrado por: Eric H. Cline

This audiobook narrated by acclaimed archaeologist and best-selling author Eric Cline offers a breathtaking account of how the collapse of an ancient civilized world ushered in the first Dark Ages.

In 1177 BC, marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy defeated them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, famine, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life a vibrant multicultural world, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires of the age and shows that it may have been their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse. Now revised and updated, 1177 B.C. sheds light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and eventually destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze Age - and set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece and, ultimately, our world today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Eric H. Cline (P)2021 Princeton University Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The memorable thing about Cline's book is the strangely recognizable picture he paints of this very faraway time.... It was as globalized and cosmopolitan a time as any on record, albeit within a much smaller cosmos. The degree of interpenetration and of cultural sharing is astonishing." (Adam Gopnik, New Yorker)

"Engaging.... [An] absorbing tour of the Late Bronze Age." (Josephine Quinn, London Review of Books)

"A fascinating look at the Late Bronze Age, proving that whether for culture, war, economic fluctuations or grappling with technological advancement, the conundrums we face are never new, but merely renewed for a modern age." (Larry Getlen, New York Post)

Authors Should Not Read Their Own Works

I am a great fan of Dr. Kline. I have this book in print format. I have watched his YouTube lecture, and I know he is a dynamic, engaging speaker. As a professor myself, however, I can attest to the wide gulf that separates speaking ability and reading aloud ability. I listened to about 10 minutes of this audiobook, and I had to quit due to Dr. Kline's painfully slow, monotone performance. This is unfortunate because the book is excellent. If ever there was a need for a guest reader, this is it.

Read don’t listen

The material is excellent. The narration is not. The only advantage to the author providing the narration is knowing all words are pronounced correctly. The primary disadvantage in this case is Cline pauses after every third word so you get no flow. However, the scholarship is excellent and comprehensive.

Stick with it

This is a very interesting book that I found rather challenging to follow because of the ancient names. I don't think it would have been easier to follow in written form. Besides, if I'd read it myself, I'd never know how to pronounce 'Suppiluliuma.' On the other hand, I was able to follow the gist which paid off at the end when the discussion turned to systems theory. I'm not a historian; I'm a system engineer. Dr Cline brings it all together in a coherent explanation -- challenging his own thinking with repeated "so what" tests. It's worth hanging in through all those difficult names.

New parents will attest that reading out loud is hard if you aren't used to it. Dr Cline doesn't start out reading as smoothly as a professional voice actor. On the other hand, he improves as he goes either from direction or just experience and feedback. So the first part of part 1 is a little bit rough, but by part 2 you get the benefit of listening to a fluent narrator passionate about the subject. And it's actually fun hearing Suppiluliuma flow off his tongue like it's "Smith" or "Jones".

Fascinating deep dive

The author makes his way through the interconnected Bronze Age civilizations, drawing parallels and referencing current research in very interesting and relevant ways. It is a heady topic, but Eric does well to make it interesting. I appreciate how he is scientifically careful in citing research, as some is well proven, some is hypothesis or limited studies, and some are just interesting ideas.

Skip to the last chapter or two.

All the excitement of a Great Courses lecture and the production values of a home office podcast. Most of the book is basically foot notes abs references to the end. Basically reads like a really long journal article. The author reads it and it’s not very easy to listen to…which is kinda the point here. SoMe interesting bits nonetheless. A good $5 purchase perhaps.

Breathtaking

While at times the professor does get a bit far down into the weeds of facts that only a true academic could appreciate, overall this is an immense and important work.

Fantastic

History done well. Directly taken from the perspective of the actual people’s living it. Thank you for researching the written texts of this time.

1177

this was so interesting! so much information on so much history. very enjoyable. I'll probably need to read this again but I really enjoyed it!

Complexity of Bronze Age society

Like every thing; the conclusion is that this subject/story needs more study! I found myself wondering, what was happening in China at the same time.

educational

I was recommended this title from a friend whose in college to educate myself better on the history of the sea people. I can say that I was educated and then some. thank you!